Once again we approach that time of the year in which we wish each other peace on Earth and good will toward men, we walk around saying “Happy Holidays” to all, or if we’re ignorant enough to think everybody is Christian, we dare to say “Merry Christmas”. So does that mean only Christians have holidays? Of course not. Since the time when humans realized that the ground froze under their feet once a year and nothing would grow for a couple of months, they turned to superstition and later to religion to explain the phenomenon of life coming back to Earth after the cold dead winter. Most cultures gave the phenomenon a name, they attributed it to deities. Following I’ll exemplify with a few traditions about winter celebrations around the world.

The Persians and Hindus have a Deity that was born on December 21st and his name is Mithra. For many centuries, Mithra’s worshiping was wide spread along the provinces of the Roman Empire, suffering regional alterations and blending with the deities worshiped by Romans and those of the other conquered peoples. Till this day, Mithra is part of a system of beliefs called Zoroastrism, Zoroastrians have existed since around the 6th century of our era.
The Romans celebrated Saturn’s festivals the week of the 15th to the 20th of December, these festivals involved great feasts and on a particular night, a piglet in honour of the gods, in Italy and Latin America people still eat roasted pig for the winter holidays.

But Saturn was not the only one celebrated during winter by the Romans, Bona Dea, goddess of fertility and virtue had a celebration in the same month during the Roman Republic, particularly during Cicero’s turn. Of course, both the Saturnine festivals, and Bona Dea’s rites have been long abandoned since the fall of the Roman empire.

Another tradition that dates to those ancient times is the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. During eight days, or evenings rather, the Jewish communities commemorate the re dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem (second Temple) and the miracle of oil burnt for eight straight days at the temple. This holiday begins on the 25th day of Kislev (this could fall any day between the end of November and December in the Gregorian calendar). The eight candle Menorah is lit in a specific order, one candle a night for eight nights as the whole family gathers around and recites special blessings.

But Eurasian traditions are not the only ones to celebrate vernal festivals. There are many peoples around the world that have different celebrations.

We can go to Japan and join in the celebration of Toshi no Se ( Toshi no Ichi) that begins on December 13th and goes on till December 31st . All is preparation for the coming of the Ney Year. The Festivity begins with house cleanings and decorations that include tree springs by the entrance way to the house.

In the US, African-Americans celebrate Kwanzaa from December 26th to January 1st. The spirit behind this holiday is to bring unity to the African-American community and a reminder to them of the good in being from African origin. Messages of hope and family bring togetherness to the communities during this time. Since there are people that have African origins all over the world, this has become a holiday celebrated by African-Americans since Maulana Karenga of the US Organization first celebrated it in 1966–1967.

There are some traditions that were celebrated in Northern Europe before Christianity that have been adapted to fit into Christian celebrations, like the Christmas tree, the wreaths, the colours used during winter.
Wreaths were used to worship the unconquered sun during the times of the Roman Empire.
Pine branches were cut and brought inside the house to adorn the hearth in honour of Hertha, Norse goddess that descended trough the chimney and brought gifts to the children and placed them inside the stockings hung by the fire to keep warm. Sounds familiar? Of course, this myth lives now as part of the myth of Santa Claus.
The tradition of hanging a bit of mistletoe at the entrance of the house dates to the Norse times as well, it was their belief that a god inhabited the plant and it had curative powers, and hung by the door, prevented evil from entering.

As with anything that existed in the topic of religion before Christianity, vegetable and greens decorations were prohibited in the early days of Christianity, but were eventually adopted since it was impossible to eradicate the tradition; of course, the church required that the branches be blessed before being used.

I could go on and on with different traditions around the world, but I have to finish writing sometime. What I leave with you is this: next time you are out shopping in this, the most expensive month, remember that we celebrate as humans differently but we all wish for a great season and a fantastic new year (If you follow the Gregorian calendar), so don’t wish people for a Merry or Happy whatever, wish for them to enjoy the holidays, we all got a different one to celebrate.

Esto se lo deseo a todo mundo, la segunda parte

.

Justo despues de un año, nos volvimos a encontrar. Las reglas fueron las mismas, implicitas pero claras, el tiempo si resultó mucho mas breve. El mismo sabor de boca al final, delicioso. En esta ocasion, fuimos viejos conocidos que, sin necesidad de explorarse, lograron un reencuentro a la medida. Las circunstanicas fueron de lo peor que se podia pedir y sin embargo, logramos tener nuestro espacio intacto. Forzamos los planes contra viento y marea para escondernos unas horas. Definitivamente estaba en las cartas el que pudieramos darnos un segundo adios. Al principio, me emocionó la posibilidad de vernos, despues pensé que si no se daba la oportunidad, no debía forzarla, al final, creo que fué muy sano ya que no fué un post mortem como con otras relaciones, no hicimos autopsia ni analisis de lo ocurrido en todo este año que pasó, solo nos dimos a la tarea de ser y estar para los dos. No hubo grandes arrebatos de pasion, no se necesitaron. Lo que si hubo fue el sentimiento presente con anterioridad, hoy soy tuya, hoy eres mio, mañana no existe, y fuera de nuestro espacio, estan los demas. Despues de hoy, ni tu ni yo necesitamos hablar para saber que ahi estuvimos y fuimos. Ayer resultó mas una despedida que la vez anterior, ahora una oportuninad de vernos de nuevo resulta todavia mas remota que hace un año. No lo vivo con pesar, sino como un extra de la fortuna que ninguno se esperaba y eso lo hizo todavia mas especial. Simplemente me encantan las emociones presentes en mi ahora, el sentimiento de completa satisfaccion y saciedad. No necesito volverlo a ver, si eso sucede, mas que mejor, pero si no se da, no importa. De igual manera que hace un año, no existen promesas sino deseos de volver a vernos, no existen planes sino un "quizas". Un quizas que probablemente no sea. La recomendacion, igual a la que hice hace un año, todos merecemos este tipo de experiencias por lo menos una vez en la vida; yo, tengo la gran fortuna de haberla disfrutado mas de una vez. Despues de todo, no es una idea tan descabellada, incluso Hollywood lo llevó a la pantalla en "Before Sunrise" y "Before Sunset", lo que para unos es cine, para mi fué vida con sabor a postre. Si alguna vez tienen la oportunidad de vivir algo así, enjoy!

Back in the circle

After what seemed like an eternity away from religious practice, I've been back in the circle conjuring and communing with the Deities. I feel complete and re-energized again, not at all as if I had abandoned my religion and was now trying to make up for lost time. Is as if I had never stopped practicing, my Gods have not forgotten me. In a way, we Wiccans are privileged in that sense, our Gods and temples are always with us and it doesn't matter time or space, we can always find a place where to sit for a moment and let Nature touch our soul. This is probably the main reason why being a Solitary doesn't feel as if I was missing something. I am my own coven. I do miss the fun we had when we enjoyed each other's energy or when a ritual came out beautiful and I had somebody to share it with. At first, coming back to Mexico, that was one of my many many concerns, that I would have to go back into the closet and I would have nobody to understand. Turns out that there seem to be a lot of neo-pagan groups here, unfortunately, none of them follow a similar path and those who I have encountered that claim to be Wiccan, some how don't feel right for me. So I decided to hang the broom... for a while at least. I also had to go into the broom closet due to a very sudden accusation at my children's school, when my son told the principal that him mommy was a witch, she became really concerned by the boy's perception of his mother. But it all changed a couple of months ago. Just like the first time the God appeared to me and assured me that I would be OK, I heard the call of the Old Ways again; I casted a circle and sat there feeling those forces of Nature all around me. I do believe my path chose me as much as I chose it and I could never truly walk away, so, mote it be!

For people without memory

"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist; Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me." Martin Niemoller. Still as true today in Mexico as it was then in Germany.

What will happen now? First they told us that it was necessary to reform education, then, we had to close down a bankrupt company, leaving thousands of workers to fend for themselves, we've been the victims of terror from the war against the "narco", now, the President wants to be the only one deciding about our rights as citizens. A security law as he proposes that will allow him, by decree, to declare a state of exception, suspending our civil liberties, a law that would make it illegal for us to gather in protest, to have meetings, to have parties after 10 pm. A law that would bring the military force all at once into the streets; a military force that does not know how to read and write at grade level; a military force that has suffered from social marginalization and is now resentful, willing to take it out on the civil population; a military force that has been trained to shoot to kill, not to arrest, not to question, but to interrogate with brutality and torture; a military force that has proven to be responsible of thousands of violations to human rights, violations to civilian laws, violations to military laws, violations to criminal laws; found responsible, but not guilty, immune to all weight of the law. Those animals are going to be turned loose onto the streets to "protect" the civil population. Every time they are turned loose, we later get the news of rape, murder, beatings, torture, abduction, false arrests, forced disappearances.
When are we going to make the m stop? How long are we going to stay on the sidelines? What are we willing to endure? The most dangerous person of all is the one that does nothing, that takes no side, that has no opinion, we need to watch out for that person, the one that will not say anything when they come for us.

Bueno, protestamos, y luego?

Por un lado, me da gusto ver que la indignación es general y que finalmente se ve un poco de unidad en las clases medias del pais. Es lógico, son sus hijos la carne del cañon en esta guerra de poderes donde el que menos poder tiene, el que menos autoridad tiene, es el que trata de gobernar a un pais que ya está hasta la madre de estar hasta la madre.
Lo que me preocupa ahora es qué tanto va a seguir aguantando el pueblo. ¿Aguantará a pie de lucha cuando suspendan sus garantías individuales? ¿Qué hará este pueblo harto cuando se disuelvan a los partidos politicos porque se decrete que estan infiltrados del narco? ¿Cómo va a reaccionar este pueblo hambriento cuando el ejercito extranjero entre de lleno en suelo mexicano con el pretexto de que lo necesitamos? ¿Quién levantará la cabeza cuando los demas se vuelvan a agachar ante la suspensión de las elecciones y los toques de queda? ¿Quién quedará para luchar? ¿Quién se irá a su casa? ¿Quién se irá del pais y abandonará a su suerte a aquellos a los que levantó en voz de protesta?
La historia de los movimientos populares en este pais tiende a repetirse, desafortunadamente, y siempre acaba con la sangre del pueblo empapandole las manos al politico. En esta ocasion, no es distinto. Calderon está bañado en la sangre de miles de inocentes. Si uno es fiel a la historia, no le importará el precio en vidas, asi como nunca ha importado. Ya podemos marchar de aquí a la Patagonia y de regreso, no le importará, ya que nunca ha importado. Bien podríamos morirnos en huelga de hambre, no le importará, como nunca ha importado. Una de las definiciones mas famosas de la locura, es intentar resultados distintos haciendo lo mismo siempre. ¿No sería nuestra lucha una de locos? Marchando y protestando, indignandonos y demostrando nuestra indignacion con mantas, hacemos lo que siempre hemos hecho y que nunca ha funcionado.
Creo que el tiempo de las marchas y protestas ciudadanas ya pasó, creo que debemos de hablar de algo que le pegue a los politicos y grandes empresarios que gobiernan al pais (porque todos sabemos que no somos una democracia, sino un pais gobernado por el capital); creo que debemos de empezar a hablar de paro nacional. El dinero mueve los intereses de este pais, pues vamos a mover al dinero.
Es solo lo que yo he estado pensando, tomenlo o dejenlo, yo ahi se los aviento.

Hasta la Madre ¿De verdad?

Hoy, después de escuchar en el radio a Carmen Aristegui dando las noticias, me puse a pensar en quiénes son realmente aquellos que dicen estar hasta la madre de la violencia y qué es lo que hacen o dejan de hacer para hacer mas evidente su inconformidad. ¿Salen a la calle a manifestarse? Algunos. ¿Dejan de ver la television? Muy pocos. ¿Dejan de violentar a su familia por la frustración que viven en la calle? No, seguro eso no.
Hemos visto que en los últimos años, a los gobernantes poco les importa si la gente sale a la calle a mostrar su inconformidad ante medidas idiotas tomadas en el calor del momento. Hemos visto el fracaso de las huelgas de hambre; las cuales, para aderezar, fueron tachadas por los medios masivos de comunicación como tácticas subversivas y nos dijeron que no era cierto que estuvieran en peligro nunca los huelguistas. Incluso se le trata de lavar el coco a la población por demás mediatizada del país para que se le olvide que tiene el derecho constitucional de protestar las medidas gubernamentales que considere le afectarán.
Yo creo que el tiempo de protestas y huelgas de hambre ya pasó. Es necesario que la población verdaderamente demuestre que en efecto ya está hasta la madre. En otros países, protestas y huelgas de hambre funcionan porque existe otro paso. El gobierno mexicano está plenamente convencido de que la población hambreada, ignorante y huevona de México solo cree en hacer valer su derecho al fútbol y la telenovela.
En países como Francia, Alemania e Inglaterra, funcionan las medidas pacificas, porque el pueblo le ha demostrado al gobierno que se puede organizar y unir. Aquí, le tenemos tanto asco al de al lado que no queremos que ni por equivocación se nos confunda con él, y se nos olvida que tanto él como nosotros, somos parte del pueblo que, a nivel mundial, trabaja mas horas al año y que, a cambio de eso, tiene los peores salarios del mundo. Tanto él, el de al lado, como yo, vivimos a merced de la violencia ante la cual, el acefalico gobierno solo piensa en incrementar el nivel de violencia. Tanto el de al lado como yo podemos en cualquier momento ser victimas de fraude, robo de identidad, extorsión, asalto, violación, levantón, desaparición, desaparición de la fuente de trabajo, incompetencia en los servicios, cobros excesivos. ¿Y qué hacemos? Tanto él como yo seguimos día con día quejándonos sin el valor para decir: hasta aquí.
Hasta aquí con la corrupción, la mía, la tuya y la de los demás.
Hasta aquí con el tener la cabeza gacha ante los abusos de poder, los míos, los tuyos y los de los demás.
Hasta aquí con ser de la clase social que sostiene al resto del país porque los de abajo no tienen para pagar impuestos y los de arriba tienen muchos privilegios.
Hasta aquí con tratar de crear consciencia en las mentes vacías producto del abuso mediático.
Hasta aquí con no hacer nada, con hacerlo todo, con soportarlo todo y no ver la salida.

Pueden no hacerme caso, después de todo, solo estaba yo pensándolo...

Equal Rights

Now that we're talking about equality of opportunities and fair treatment and minorities being empowered and etc, etc, etc. I bring to you another though. If everybody but white males are equal, what are they equal to?
Something that happened recently made me think about true equality. One of the women I work with is also a single mom and she's raising two boys, similar ages as mine. She was asking if I knew of a place where her 5 year old boy could learn how to dance. It dawned on me that we both were unable to find spaces where dance classes are not only for girls. Then I started wondering what else is being denied from our sons? We are so concerned about women's and girls' rights, that we are forgetting that by asking for equality, we need to consider the inclusion of men and boys into activities and places where we women are the only ones allowed.

There are no changing tables on men's public restrooms, not even inside the restrooms in department stores or malls. Is considered normal to see a little girl playing with toy trucks and cars, as well as with toy tool sets, but honestly, how many of us would find it normal to see a boy asking his parents for a tea set or a kitchen? And last time I checked, men are great chefs.

In some countries, men can ask their employer for paternity leave if the just adopted a baby, but do they get paternity leave in all countries when they had a baby? No. If a woman decides to go back to work as soon as she can after having a baby and comes home tired and doesn't want to deal with changing diapers and hires a nanny for that purpose, we applaud her decision, if a man decides he's not going to be part of the diaper changing experience, he's an irresponsible father.

It is true that we have lived with the stigma of double standards and are tired of being considered unable to perform certain activities, but aren't we doing the same to men?

If a couple takes the decision of having kids and one of them has to stay home to raise them, shouldn't be the man's right to stay home if it works out better for them? Why can't a man be considered better at dealing with domestic issues?

Some of my male friends have been talking lately about wanting to have kids, but they are stuck since for them, it is necessary to first find a wife that wants kids. It is this recent trend of men being in touch with their feelings that makes them realize that they, unlike us, need more steps to get to paternity than us, since all we need is an ejaculation at the right time of the month. Men, if they decide to be single parents, have to share their kids with the mother, women don't have to have sex to get a baby if they choose to be artificially inseminated.

I think that now that we are commemorating 100 years of the struggle for equal rights for women, and thinking about all the violence women have to endure, we should think about the 21st century men and the equality they're asking for.

Take it or leave it, but after all... I was just thinking.

Ek lief jou meer!

Ek is so verskriklik lief vir jou
kannie glo ons is saam
is mal daaroor as jy jou arms om my vou
en hoe jy my soen onder die maan!

Het vergeet hoeveel liefde ek het om te gee
en te kan se ek het nie meer seer
saam stap ons elke tree
en kan ek met alle eerlikheid se, ek lief jou meer!

Carike Klokow

March 8th, International Women's Day

This year we commemorate one century of this particular "holiday", but what are we commemorating? What have we to celebrate?
Every day we see that gender violence is still a reality for millions of women around the world. We also see thousands of women imprisoned for exercising their human rights. Hundreds of women die every day defending those rights.
What is there to celebrate? What do we commemorate? The fact that regardless of the risks taken, we still have brave courageous women willing to risk life and limb to be free, to have a voice that will not be silent, women that go beyond the basics and speak out and encourage and support others to stand strong and show that they are not "the weaker sex", they are equally strong and possess the same needs and desires and we have plenty of examples to prove it.
We have women all over the world who have excelled in many fields and have braved the odds to come out stronger.
All throughout history we can find women that make it necessary to change the saying "behind every great man, there's a great woman" for "alongside every great man, there's a great woman".
So instead of celebrating or commemorating women on "their day", we need to acknowledge them every single day just as we do with their male counterparts, no more, no less.
From the mid-wives to Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, from Sacajawea to Valentina Tereskova, from Abigail Adams to Alice Paul, women have been making the difference not just for women, but for humanity; but let's not forget that they were working alongside men who believed them to be their intellectual equals.
So let's make this year a true year of remembrance of those men and women that have paved the way for all of us, and of those who at this very moment are working to change the world, one woman at a time, and one man at a time too. The day we stop believing that we need vindication for the past wrongs we've endured, then will we be truly equal in our own eyes and therefore, the eyes of others.
Take my thoughts to consideration, or not, after all... I was just thinking.

Dia internacional de la mujer

Dia?

En el metro

A ver, que alguien me explique esta nueva del gobierno capitalino.
Para evitar asaltos (y fajes), las autoridades han decidido que no se usen todos los vagones del metro despues de las 22:00 horas. Si yo fuera asaltante, ¡me aprovecho de que ahora lostenog a todos juntitos! Si es cierto que se usan los ultimos vagones para asaltar, ¿no será igual de fácil asaltar los vagones centrales?
Ahora, lo que se reporta es que las aglomeraciones fueron tremendas este viernes pasado cuando se implementó la medida, entonces, los vagones no van tan solos como para que se aporveche ningun asaltante. Ademas de que con gente apretada, las carteras, los relojes y las bolsas son mucho mas accesibles para el experimentado carterista.
Se reporta tambien que no se respetaron los vagones exclusivos para mujeres y niños, entonces estamos hablando de que nos importa que a las mujeres no se les moleste, apretuje, manosee y carteree durante el dia, pero a partir de las 22:00 horas, el que quiera nos puede restregar todo lo que quiera donde quiera y hasta donde quiera sin mayor consecuencia porque los apretones estan maravillosos.
Esta medida parece como el hombre a quien le duele el dedo y se lo corta para que ya no le duela.
¿no sería mucho mejor que los oficiales encargados de no dejar pasar a la gente a los ultimos vagones se dedicara a vigilarlos? Un policia por tren que de estacion a estacion se alternara entre vagones sería mucho mejor que cuatro o cinco en las estaciones diciendole a la gente que tiene que viajar toda apretujada porque un oligofrenico con hueso no sabe como proteger a la ciudadanía.
Bueno, eso por un lado. por otro se encuentra la motivacion alterna, la homofobia, se dice que otra razon para cerrar los vagones es porque las parejas de homosexuales los usan en la noche para fajar. Yo en lo particular he visto personas de todas las preferencias sexuales fajando en el metro a todas horas y digo lo que siempre digo: cada quien y lo que quiera hacer público. Si te ofende, volteate, si se pasan, diles amablemente que para eso hay hoteles, pero tanto unos como otros deben de respetarse. Nadie mencionó las parejas heterosexuales que llegan incluso al sexo oral en los vagones, tal vez el público en general no se molesta por el "sex show" mientras no se perturbe su homofobia.
Sea cual sea la razón de la medida, lo unico que ocasiona es conflicot para los usuarios. de por si, no es nada agradable tener que viajar en metro a altas horas de la noche, ahora, imaginense tener que sufrir aglomeraciones a todas horas y no solo en las horas pico.
No cabe duda de que el encargado de seguridad publica y el de urbanismo estan en su puesto por un error y no por competencias.

Does being online put you on the line?

"We met online". Ever said that to someone about a friend or relation? If so, were you taken seriously about the way you felt? If the other person laughed at you, don't feel bad, you're not alone. Most people around us tend to dismiss online relationships as "not real". Now, I'm in no way an online relationship expert, however, I am a "long distance relationship" experienced person, how? The first years of my now failed first marriage were long distance, my oldest friend and I have been living in different hemispheres for the better part of 30 years,one of my closest friends for the past 5 years is a man that I have never met in person! Same thing with a new developing relationship I have now. One must ask oneself, how can you be close to a person you've never seen? but we've seen each other, and talked for hours on the phone, we've shared many crises and joys together. Together? They live in other countries and continents and I in Mexico!
I've been reading a lot about online relationships, romantic attachments, cyber dating, and the new way of relating to people across the globe. there are lots of things to watch out for and lots of drawbacks about having emotional attachments with persons that you do not see in the regular basis, but there are also some advantages to it. I contact my oldest and dearest friend in a daily basis in Argentina and we both know what's happening in each other's lives with one click of the mouse. On the other hand, sometimes I'm unable to have lunch to catch up with friends that work in the same building with me!
One interesting statistic that I found was that as time progresses, online relationships, or long distance relationships, have a better chance of continuing on that proximal relationships. It could be the annoying little habits that we all have and that we are able to ignore when we don't have the person in front of us; it could also be the fact that an online relationship doesn't interfere with our daily activities that much; or maybe is the fact that whenever we get to chat, message, e-mail or text our online friends/significant others, is because we really want to tell them something, whereas, in proximal relationships, we could feel stuck meeting someone when we really don't feel like it.
In asking people what they thought about online relationships I was told that no matter how strongly you may get to feel towards the person on the other side of the web, we all need human contact and a physical relationship. I do recognize the importance of human touch, yet, I wonder if we forget that as time progresses in a relationship, the physical part of it, either absorbs the whole of the relationship and then communication stops to give way to the will of the body, or it fades away bit by bit. This fading of the physical part is inevitable in the case of long term relationships that go on for several years. Here, two things can happen, the first is the one that we all hope for, the common goals, similar interests, shared life experiences, etc, can make the relationship work for a very long time, in fact, this is the way things were for our grandparents. the other thing that can happen is what we see everyday: boredom takes over, nothing in common, or everything in common and no conversational skills make the relationship fail.
Now, following this, I went online to look for other opinions on cyber relationships and found that the opinions of everyday people were very polarized and of course, the people that supported cyber relationships were in one, had been in one or were looking for one in cyber dating sites; the other opinions were on the opposite side of the coin, claiming that online friends or lovers are not real, people online tend to lie about themselves, a lot of people take advantage of others thanks to the relative anonymity of the web. Experts in relationships tend to be on the fence about this, they recognize the risks involved in dating online and reminding us that we get lied to and taken advantage of in the world world also.
The way I look at the whole of meeting and keeping friends and lovers online is this: The key to any relationship is communication, whether is talking, chatting, e-mailing, touching etc. when communication stops, all goes to hell. love and friendship are formed inside our heads, nowhere else, and a wise person once told me, the mind doesn't distinguish from the emotions created by a word said and one written.
What makes me chuckle is how people get surprised when there are some of us that are able to keep contact and emotional attachment with people on the other side of the globe when this is not new. Back before there was internet, remember that time? people had pen pals, people they wrote to and didn't meet for years, if ever. It also makes me think of the correspondence marriages and mail brides. For a long time, people have been looking for people to connect to, we've just learned one more way, one that has to do with the instant result we expect in our lives, but this acquaintances, friends, lovers are just like the old time pen pals, mail brides and correspondence marriages.
The only piece of advise I can give you is this: be safe. Whether it is online or in person, take care of yourself and pursue happiness any way you can.